Not only the little white lotus was smug.
Seeing her authority stripped away, Ye Ziyun felt incredibly pleased and sneered a few times. It was only after Concubine Rong's scolding that she finally stopped.
With both matters of this trip settled, Concubine Rong had no intention of staying any longer and immediately wanted to return to the palace.
"Lan'er, since there's nothing else, I'll return to the palace with Yun'er first."
As she spoke and prepared to rise, Ye Tinglan suddenly called out to stop them.
"Mother Consort, please wait."
Concubine Rong looked puzzled. "Is there anything else?"
Ye Tinglan's dark eyes narrowed slightly as he swept across the room, carrying a silent chill.
"Regarding the matter of the cold poison, I do not wish for a third person to know."
Yesterday, his cold poison had acted up. This matter was supposed to be confidential, yet within a single night, it had already reached the palace.
The walls of Prince Mo's mansion still had gaps.
Upon hearing this, Qin Rulian's body trembled almost imperceptibly, and a flicker of unease immediately crossed her face.
Concubine Rong naturally understood the gravity of the situation and nodded slightly.
"Rest assured, I came here on behalf of the Empress Dowager to visit Yinwan. No one else knows about the cold poison."
If it weren't under the guise of visiting Feng Yinwan, they wouldn't have been able to leave the palace so smoothly.
Feng Yinwan, treated as a tool, felt even more speechless.
Having gone through this early in the morning, she had no desire to learn swordplay at all. Angrily, she left the main courtyard, not even retrieving the sword from Qi Xuan's hand.
To make matters worse, the little white lotus followed behind her with a smug air, speaking at a leisurely pace.
"Princess Consort, please walk slowly. You are pregnant, so you must be extra careful."
Feng Yinwan: Be careful of your own ghostly head!
She returned to Lanqing Courtyard in a huff and, upon entering, bumped into Yuping washing clothes. Seeing her return like this, Yuping was immediately surprised.
"Miss, weren't you going to learn swordplay from the Prince? Why are you back?"
Before she finished speaking, she saw Qin Rulian following behind and became even more bewildered.
Feng Yinwan raised her hand, her pretty face still tinged with anger.
"Go fetch the Baoyin."
"Baoyin?"
Yuping frowned slightly, nodded hesitantly, and still walked inside.
After it was retrieved from Xiuchun Courtyard last time, the Baoyin had been kept in its box, untouched. In a moment, Yuping emerged holding the box.
"Miss."
Feng Yinwan nodded, her gaze unwavering.
"Give it to her."
She, of course, was referring to Qin Rulian.
Yuping was immediately stunned.
"Miss, this..."
This was the Princess Consort's Baoyin, how could it be given to her!
"Give it to her."
"Miss!"
Seeing that she was holding the brocade box and unwilling to hand it over, a cruel glint flashed in Qin Rulian's eyes. She directly reached out and snatched it.
"Don't be alarmed, Yuping. The Princess Consort is pregnant and should not be overly exerted. Concubine Rong, to show her consideration, specially ordered me to manage the household affairs."
"This Baoyin will be temporarily kept with me."
As she spoke, she had already opened the brocade box.
The vermilion phoenix-carved small seal and a faint fragrance emanated from within. Qin Rulian examined it carefully, her eyes narrowing with smugness.
The Baoyin had finally returned to her hands!
Feng Yinwan didn't want to look at her gloating expression for another second.
"Yuping, escort Miss Qin out."
Yuping was about to step forward when Qin Rulian let out a huff of laughter.
"Princess Consort, why the hurry to chase me away? I haven't managed household affairs for a long time, and Rulian still has some questions for you."
"Stop getting on your high horse."
Feng Yinwan scoffed coldly.
"If you can't handle it, report to Concubine Rong to relieve you of this important task, so that I don't have to worry about it while carrying my child!"
How could Qin Rulian bear to?
Her face stiffened for a moment, and she held the Baoyin, bowing slightly.
"Princess Consort, please rest assured. Rulian will do her utmost to manage the Prince's mansion affairs and will absolutely not disappoint Concubine Rong."
Feng Yinwan gave her a cold sweep of her eyes and said sternly, "Yuping, close the door!"
The courtyard gate slammed shut behind her. Qin Rulian's steps faltered, and disdain surged in her eyes.
What was this vixen so proud of? Now, she was the mistress of Prince Mo's mansion!
With a soft snort, she walked away, swaying her hips. However, after only a few steps, a black shadow flashed out from the flower bushes.
"Miss Qin, the Empress has summoned you."
Someone from the Empress?
Qin Rulian was startled, and her expression immediately became serious.
"Why is my aunt looking for me?"
The person kept their head down, their expression solemn and devoid of any emotion. "You will know when you go."
Qin Rulian's hand holding the Baoyin tightened. "Lead the way."
...
The main courtyard.
Having not seen Feng Yinwan return for a long time, Qi Xuan held the sword, feeling as if he were holding a hot potato, restless.
Just as he was contemplating whether to send it to her, the curtain of the door rippled slightly, and his Prince emerged from the room.
"Your Highness."
With just one glance, Ye Tinglan saw the precious sword in his hand, and his gaze immediately froze silently.
Qi Xuan understood and quickly presented it with both hands.
"This is... the Princess Consort's sword."
Ye Tinglan's hand stroking the sword paused slightly. "She chose this one."
This was a soft murmur.
Before Qi Xuan could hear clearly, he saw his Prince already gripping the sword and walking out.
He paused, then secretly raised an eyebrow.
Had he… successfully passed the burden on?
Feng Yinwan was so angry she felt dizzy. After drinking two cups of tea, she remembered that her precious sword was still with Qi Xuan. Just as she was about to get up, the courtyard gate was pushed open first.
Ye Tinglan entered with the sword but stopped in the middle of the courtyard.
Her sword! How did it end up in Ye Tinglan's hand?
Feng Yinwan waited suspiciously for a long time, but seeing no movement from him, she couldn't help but frown.
What was this person doing?
She cautiously peeked out, only to be met with a fierce gust of wind. She instinctively squinted her eyes.
The next moment, Ye Tinglan's aura surged, and the sword in his hand immediately unsheathed.
Feng Yinwan stared, somewhat mesmerized.
What was… the principle behind this?
Before she could track the sword's direction, Ye Tinglan had already leaped into the air, his black hair flowing, his dark robes billowing, like a deity descended.
The long sword appeared silently in his hand. Ye Tinglan swung his sword, each move unpredictable and filled with a powerful killing intent.
With the addition of internal energy, her senses became even sharper. Feng Yinwan's body trembled slightly just watching.
She seemed to have a slight idea of how powerful Ye Tinglan truly was.
Yuping, however, remained oblivious.
"Miss, what is the Prince doing?"
Why was he suddenly practicing swordplay in their courtyard?
While still confused, Feng Yinwan excitedly pushed open the door. Yuping's forehead twitched, and she quickly chased after her to pull her back.
"Miss!"
How dangerous!
After finishing a set of sword forms, Ye Tinglan landed with his robes gracefully fluttering, his breath undisturbed.
Just as he was about to sheathe his sword, his sleeve was grabbed.
Feng Yinwan's eyes sparkled, her face clearly etched with the desire to "learn."
"The swordplay just now was exquisite, truly heavenly, like a god descended, seamless, and invincible!"
"Your humble subject wants to learn this!"
Ye Tinglan's dark eyes narrowed slightly, and he lifted his jaw sharply.
"Feng Yinwan, how did I not realize before that you have the potential to be a lackey."
Feng Yinwan: …Uh, is this something that can be said?!
Seeing her pursing her lips in silence, her cheeks slightly flushed, Ye Tinglan's thin lips curved imperceptibly. He enveloped her hand with his large palm.
"Grasp the sword."